The Loner

Chapters

Chapter 1: Just another day...
Chapter 2: A New Guest
Chapter 3: Memories still haunt some
Chapter 4: Trying to cope with the past
Chapter 5: When you loose everything you believe in...

Chapter 1: Just another day...

The Loner

Chapter 1: Just another day

It was a normal, quiet, and a rather uneventful morning in the plains around a small wooden cottage that a single pegasus called home. The Sun was slowly rising in the distance, illuminating the wooden walls and the tan roof of the cottage. Shafts of sunlight shone in through the dusty windows of the structure, lighting up the interior with the help of some strategically placed mirrors. A bright light assaulted the pegasus’ eyes and woke him from his slumber.

As the pegasus opened his eyes, he tried to regain his vision from his long and resting sleep. The first thing that he saw was one letter on his bedside table. The stallion moved his hoof over to the letter and pulled the front of the envelope into his field of vision. He admired the white envelope that resembled the day, the unbroken wax seal depicting a crescent moon and the sun, and the blue writing on the front of the folded parchment. A small smile appeared on the stallion’s muzzle as he read the three simple words written on said envelope that addressed him.

Dear Master Noah,

After going over each letter of those words in his mind, he sat the envelope down and stumbled out of bed. As he slumped his way towards his kitchen, Noah tripped over an old engraved chest in his bedroom and swore to himself before letting out an annoyed groan. He quickened his pace through the door into the kitchen and towards his old enchanted icebox. As Noah opened the door to the box, the blue aura of the cooling crystal lit up and illuminated a few pieces of rotting fruit inside this enchanted and well kept appliance.

The stallion pulled out an old apple and took a bite of it. As he took a bite, Noah felt something in his mouth that had an unusual slimy texture, one he has ever felt before. It was quickly followed by a horrid taste as the object spewed a liquid over his tongue. Noah pulled the apple away from his mouth and his eyes locked onto a worm in the apple that is missing half of it’s body. The stallion spit out the apple and gagged, nearly vomiting on his polished wood flooring. He tossed the apple out the window strategically placed right beside the ice box and looked in the white box one more time before he slammed the lid and let out a very annoyed groan. Noah then mumbled to himself,"I'm out of food, great...".

As Noah looked through the kitchen for something to eat, a thought clicked in his mind. If he is out of food, that means he has to go scavenging to find something to eat. The stallion grinned and jumped up, excited that he had an excuse to go into town.

Noah walked out of his kitchen and approached the old coat rack beside his front door. The stallion ran his hoof over an old royal guard trench coat that had once belonged to his father and smiled at the smoothness of the cloth. He admired the light blue lining and the star on it, marking the wearer of said coat Princess Luna’s personal guard. He treasured the piece of clothing, due to the fact that it was given to him along with a blue envelope and a folded Equestrian flag a few days after his father gave up his life for the Princess. The pegasus slowly lifted the coat off of the rack and pulled it around himself as he was starting to be warmed from the thick silk lining of the coat.

He then turned around and looked through his house one last time before he will head out. His little shack had four rooms; his bedroom which contained a small bed and an old chest, the kitchen which had an old enchanted ice box and a few cabinets, the storage room where he kept all of the treasures he finds when going out and a bookshelf with his personal collection of writing on it, and finally a sealed off room that had once belonged to his mother. After giving his house a satisfactory nod, he turned the doorknob and stepped outside into the light. As Noah exited through the door, he was faced with the ruins of Equestria, the same ruins that he had seen every day since he was a young colt.

After a long yawn and soothing stretch, he took his first few steps into the sunlight and smiled. The sights of destruction that the stallion had become used to seeing now comforted him, showing the pegasus that not much has changed since he fell asleep, aside from a light gathering of pure white snow blanketing everything in sight. The only thing going through his mind was the curiosity of what today’s adventure would bring.

Noah knew exactly where he was going and what he was looking for. He needed first aid equipment, which he would find in the hospital. He ran out when he broke his legs a few weeks ago, and without a unicorn to perform healing magic on him he had to rely on the medicines he found. Noah needed new corn seeds for his small garden, which he would find in the barn of Sweet Apple Acres. Most of all, he was hoping to find an undamaged book in the ruins of the library, maybe if he was lucky it would be the next book of the Daring Doo series he has been reading lately. Noah is an egghead, and he knows it but it keeps his mind off of the lonely thoughts that would drive most to insanity.

Now that he had a mental checklist, he was ready to venture into town. Noah had two paths, fly there or walk there. Unlike most pegasi, Noah enjoyed being close to the ground and loved the feeling of the earth under his hooves so his choice was very obvious. The stallion slowly trotted down the custom stone path that him and his mother built from the ruins of an old shop three years after the apocalypse. Noah was in no hurry so he took his time walking down the multi-colored cobblestone path lead straight into town and his first stop, the hospital.

As Noah trotted down the road towards Ponyville, he looked over the fields and admired their beauty. He always loved the snow and it took most of his willpower to dive off of his path and start to play in the white dust. Even if he could not play in it, he still loved seeing the world coated in snow and the sight made his heart get giddy. Noah was overcome with happiness, yet he was completely unaware of how much this day would turn his little world upside down.

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Noah approached the hospital cautiously, looking around for anything that was hostile. Ever since the war, the beasts of the Everfree Forest were free to enter the town due to the lack of ponies to stop them so it was common for him to run into timberwolves, manticores, and other beasts of the dark woods that seem to be overtaking the old town. As he entered the ruins, he saw a feather and an ink well under one of the chairs in the waiting room. "These could be useful" said the pegasus. He noticed a small amount of smoke rising off in the distance as he put away the treasures. The pegasus shrugged off the thought that it was more than a wildfire, and continued his search through the hospital.

While searching through the old building, he came up to a wooden door that seemed like it was still locked. Many things were going through his mind. What would be in there? Was there a supply of valuable medicines or some pure drinking water inside? With a huge grin on his face, Noah turned around and bucked the door with all of his strength. His attack on the door was greeted by the sound of rotten wood breaking into pieces.

The first thing that hit Noah was the horrid smell of death and decay. The stallion froze in place, fearful of what he would see upon turning around. In the corner of the room he saw the skeleton of a pegasus, a mare by the looks of it, with rats using the skull of this poor subject of torture as a nest. He could just make out the hay nest sticking out of where the ears would be. As Noah slowly approached the skeleton, the inhabitants of the skull escaped through the eye sockets and into holes in the wall. After this he noticed a weird object to the left of the corpse. It was a gold necklace with a blue butterfly crystal in the center of the piece of jewelry. After putting the necklace in his saddlebag, he turned his attention to the skeleton. Noah thought of only one thing at that moment; he needs to bury this pony and honor it in the proper manner that everypony deserved.

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As Noah finished placing the stones around the mound that was the unknown pegasus' grave, he kept getting the feeling that he was being watched. The stallion shrugged off the feeling and went back into the hospital to retrieve the medicine bottles he found in the recently reopened room. Searching through the bottles, he found rohoofonol, which he knew was a sedative, some penicillin, and some aspirin. Noah picked up a couple of empty syringes, in case the one he has at home brakes.While Noah left the crumbling building, he shut the door to the room and was instantly surprised by the sound of stone falling.

As he re-opened the door, he noticed that the room had collapsed. If he had stayed in the room thirty more seconds he would be dead. He shook off the feeling of adrenaline building up in his system from his near-death experience and kept his mind on what he had just found. Excited with his prizes, he began his walk off to the library to find a new book for his collection.

As he walked towards the library, he passed several flattened houses and the occasional rumble that was the remains a business. Noah remembered when he was a young colt, him and his mother walked down this same path. The most memorable thing he remembered was on his way home from school, he was nearly run over by one of his classmates who was riding by on her scooter.

The filly's name was Scootah or Scootie, to his knowledge, and she was always catching his eye as she flew by on that small scooter that she rode. He always knew that she wouldn’t be interested in him so he never tried to get her attention, which was one of the things he regretted most. He also remembered how she was always hanging out with those friends of hers. They called themselves the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'. Noah knew that he would have joined if it wasn’t for the unexpected appearance of the picture of a hammer and anvil on his flank. Noah shook his head and tried to expel the thoughts of his past from his mind.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were dead, everypony else was dead too and he knew that thinking of them would just bring loneliness to his mind. As if on cue to stop that train of thought, Noah was flashed with light from some reflective object, completely ruining his train of thought. Tracing the light with his eyes, he saw it came from a piece of metal outside of the old schoolhouse.

Noah guessed that the metal wasn’t worth scavenging until, while he was looking over his shoulder on his way home, he thought that he saw a pair of eyes staring at him from the shadows near his old school. As he approached the building, he saw an object take off from a hole in the roof and fly off towards sweet apple acres. Cautiously, he flew around the old school a few times to make sure that the beast didn't return or if there was more inside. The last thing Blaze wanted was to have a run-in with a manticore.

As he walked inside, he found several gallon jugs of pure drinking water and some crates of food laid around what seemed to be a bed. Was this a camp? Noah quickly shook his head and mumbled,"This isn't a camp. I am the the only pony alive, so this can not be a camp. Maybe it is a rogue changeling’s home, but definitely not a pony camp!". As he looked at the bed, he noticed some short orange hair scattered over the bed. Must be a manticore.

Amazed at his find, he loaded all that he could onto his back and extended his wings to make sure that nothing fell off. The stallion decided that he was going to go back out tomorrow to search the library and Sweet Apple Acres. "I wonder if the owner of these supplies will be mad at me for taking this...". Noah shrugged and walked out the door towards his home. On his way home he constantly saw the beast from the school fly overhead and saw it's purple eyes from the shadows everywhere that he looked. This beast's presence terrified him enough to make gallop at full speed towards his house.

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After he shut his door and dropped his findings by the kitchen, the pegasus jumped in his bed and hid under the covers from the beast lurking outside of his sanctuary. Noah shut his eyes tightly and slipped into a nice and peaceful slumber, unaware of how much danger he truly was in.

The next morning Noah slowly opened his eyes and he was greeted by the face of an unknown entity staring back at him. As he tried to flare his wings and swing his hooves at the beast that had intruded into his house, he noticed ropes tied to each of his hooves holding him down and that his wings were strapped to his side. Noah’s eyes widened as he looked over his captor. It was a pony! The pony was a mare too, and he was able to see a pair of wings attached to each side of her back. She had an orange coat and a purple mane and tail, with light purple eyes staring right back into his. He recognized the mare from somewhere in his past and managed to sputter out in between nervous breaths, "Who are you?". The mare replied in a calm and eerily familiar voice "My name is Scootaloo".

Chapter 2: A New Guest

The Loner

Chapter 2: A new guest

Everything in Noah’s mind clicked at that one moment. He was held hostage by Scootaloo, the mare that he had a massive crush on when he was a little colt. That didn’t matter now, seeing as he was tied up and that he was probably going to get murdered. At least he would get to see his parents soon. Hell, maybe she didn’t want to kill him and she would force him into slavery. He knew that he wouldn’t know unless he asked.

After a long time of Scootaloo staring at him, Noah built up enough confidence to ask the mare a simple question, “Why am I tied up?” She let out a small laugh and pulled up a chair beside the bed. “First of all, you stole my supplies. Second of all, I don’t know if you will make me into a slave and force me to do certain things that I would rather not talk about at this point. Are those good enough reasons?” Noah looked towards her dumbfounded. “Wait, you are aren’t going to sacrifice me to a god that you believe in or force me to become your personal pack mule?”. Scootaloo tilted her head to the side and looked at him with a confused face. When she noticed that he wasn’t joking she began laughing so hard that she fell out of her chair.

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After a few minutes of letting Scoots get her laughs out, Noah realized that she was either in a mental state of depravity or she didn’t mean him any harm. Either way, there was nothing he could do about his current situation except wait. The stallion watched her as she went through his possessions before trying to reason with her again. “Can you please just untie me? These ropes are too tight.” She looked at him. “Stallion up, I’ll let you go when you can prove that you won’t kill me.” Noah let out an annoyed groan and looked at the mare holding him captive.

“If you let me go I’ll... I’ll do something for you!” She laughed a little and shook her head. “I don’t even know your name and you want me to trust you?” At that point Noah realized that she still hadn’t recognised him from school. He let out a small sigh and looked her in the eyes. “My name is Noah. We went to school together...”

The expression on her face had softened as she looked at him. “N-Noah? As in Noah C-Cano?” His expression softened as he slowly nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.” She pulled out a knife and stared at him. “I remember you... You were the one that got your cutie mark when you came back from blacksmithing camp.” He looked towards the knife in fear. "Y-Yes, that's me." He remembered what happened at that camp, all the fun that he had. Of course that didn’t matter now, he just needed to get untied.

Scootaloo had pulled the knife to one of the ropes and began sawing at it, wanting to hear more of his story, "So, how come you haven't fallen yet? It's been over a decade since the rapture, how have you survived this long? I suppose you have like I have, but please do tell." He let out a long sigh and looked towards the barred-up room. “Me and my mother lived together and farmed, but she died a few years ago. She knew how to grow so many plants and I never learned so, since then I have been scavenging for food along with farming what I know how to grow.” Scootaloo had finished cutting the last rope and moved over into a better light source, showing many scars, yet she wore the same Cutie Mark Crusaders cloak she had always worn.

"So," She smirked, "Come tell me. Why did you steal my stuff? I mean you did see me, right?" He shook his head and sat up, rubbing some rope marks on his body. “I thought you were a manticore. Until now, I thought I was the only pony alive here. If I knew it was you... Things would have been different.” "Well, I guess I'll trust you then." Scootaloo sighed, "I'm just glad to know I'm not the only pony left in this miserable country." He let out a small chuckle and grabbed a bottle of water from the bedside table. “Yeah. So that camp that you had set up, was that permanent or are you just staying for now?” She giggled with a swoon, "I get your jist, no it wasn't permanent, I was staying there because I was in that area and I thought I could forage around here."

She looked him in the eyes, "But tell me this first, why was this on you?" She pulled The Element of Kindness out of Noah’s saddle bag and showed it to him. "It belongs to a pony I used to know." His face became sorrowful as he looked at the necklace, then to her. “Was this pony a pegasus mare, about 20-ish years old?” She dreadfully nodded. "Your guess is as good as mine." He took a deep breath and looked out the window towards the rising sunset over the ruins of ponyville. “She is buried outside of the ponyville hospital. I’m sorry...” She wiped a tear, "It's okay, I know you meant well when you buried her."

He looked at the necklace, apparently the Element of Kindness, then the sad mare in front of him. He let out a small sigh and hugged her. “The necklace is yours.” She shook her head and put it on the table beside the envelope. “No thanks, you can have it. You can keep it safer here than back at my camp.” Noah shook his head and looked towards the mare. “It’s pretty dangerous in town at night. That’s when the manticores come out and hunt. How about you spend tonight here, where it is safe.” Scootaloo looked towards him in shock, unable to believe that a stranger would offer to protect her and give her refuge. “I’d love to stay here...” Noah smiled and stood up, then made his way to the kitchen. “I’ll get us breakfast.” The mare smiled and watched him go away. She finally had somepony to protect her.

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After a well-needed snack and a few minutes of the two ponies conversing about what they had done since the apocalypse. Noah learned that the mare in front of him had actually explored the ruins of Equestria, and she had been from Canterlot to Manehatten. He admired the adventurous spirit of the pegasus, and he wished that he possessed the same initiative spirit that she had. "So what does the castle look like? I can see some of it from here, but I can't tell if anything has happened to it." Scootaloo shook her head playfully. "It looks pretty nice, there are still ponies living there but they wouldn't let me get close. Something about me being a 'changeling spy', it really sucked." She stuck her tongue out as she remembered everything that happened.

Noah looked at her and shook his head, then snorted. "I bet they didn't want to catch anything from you." The mare gasped and glared at him. "And what is that supposed to mean?" He chuckled at her reaction and stuck her tongue out at her. "It's just that you smell like you haven't taken a bath in years!" Scootaloo's face turned bright red as she cautiously sniffed in between her foreleg and her body. Her nose cringed as the odor hit, her face showing how embarrassed she was. "Tell me where the bathroom is now or I'll kill you."

Noah burst out laughing and fell off of his bed. He lifted up his hoof long enough to point outside to the creek outside the window. The mare stood up and trotted over to him. "Soap now." He stood up and made his way into the kitchen, where he pulled out a bar of homemade soap. She pulled the soap away from him and left out the door towards the creek. Noah watched the mare leave, a small smirk upon his face. "Make sure you clean behind your ears!" Scootaloo looked back at him and lifted up the middle feather in her wing, making Noah begin to laugh once again.

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When Scootaloo entered the house, she was hit with the smell of something baking. As she took in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet aroma, she noticed a towel set out for her. The mare wrapped it around herself and trotted into the kitchen, where she saw Noah placing a pie on the window seal. Her mouth watered and she could practically taste the pie. “Wow Noah, that looks delicious...” He turns around and smiles pridefully. “Thanks, it’ll be ready to eat in a few minutes. While I ready it you can go ahead and make yourself at home. I set up a cot in the bedroom for you so you can go make yourself comfortable.” Noah watched as the mare walked into the bedroom and put a blanket on her cot.

He smiled and lifted the pie off of the window seal, then put it on a plate. “Scoots, the pie is ready.” He wasn’t expecting what would come next. Scootaloo flew into the kitchen at top speed, colliding with Noah. The two slid across the floor and came to rest at the ice box. He looked at her, a small smirk on his face. “Somepony is excited, a little bit too excited...”

She squeaked and jumped off of him, then sat at the table. She tried to hide the red tint on her cheeks by covering her face with her forehooves. “If you ever bring up what just happened, you will know what true pain is." Noah laughed a little and put a slice of pie in front of her.

“Sure, sure. Eat up, it’s my signature Spiced Apple Pie.” She took a bite of it and looked at him, her eyes glimmering. “It’s the best pie I’ve ever had!” Noah smiled and got himself a plate of pie. “Thanks, the recipe is from my mom. She would always make it for me. He smiled and remembered all of the good times he had with her. Scootaloo looked up from her pie and smiled. “You’re always talking about your mom, but you never mention your dad. What happened to him?

Noah looked down and shrugged. “I didn’t see him much. He was a lunar guard, and Mom always said such good things about him. He.... He was KIA during the changeling attack on Canterlot.” She covered her face and looked at him. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know...” He chuckled and patted her on the back. “It’s fine. Anyways, it’s good to be able to talk to somepony. I thought I was going to go insane from the loneliness.” She smiled and nodded towards him before eating the rest of her pie.

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After she ate a few more slices of pie the mare looked outside and saw the sun setting. “Wow, it’s pretty late...” Noah nodded in agreement. “Well I’m turning in for the night. Night Scoots!” She smiled and nodded towards him. “Night Noah.” He went into the bedroom and laid down in his bed before thinking to himself. ‘Today was great, I hope tomorrow is better...’

Chapter 3: Memories still haunt some

*The Loner**Chapter 3: Memories still haunt some*

Noah woke up from his small bed and went into the kitchen. He was greeted by the sight of a golden mare with a brown mane. Noah smiled up to her, and saw her smile back. “Hey Mom! What are we going to do today?”

His mother giggled a bit before picking up her little colt. “Today we are going to go searching for herbs in the Everfree Forest!”

Noah let out a gasp of excitement before hugging her mother as tight as he could. “Yay! I love going there! Can we go visit Zecora this time? Please please please!!!”

Mom nodded before picking Noah up and putting him on her back. “Ready champ?”.

He nodded, a large grin plastered on his face as he gripped his mothers wings at their base.

“Can I do the countdown this time Mom?” Noah’s mother nodded and left through the door of her cottage, then closed it behind them.

She replied with only three words. “Begin the countdown.”

Noah grinned and tightened his grip on his mother’s back. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four..."

Mom extended her wings and angled her body. “...Three, two, ONE!”

Mother and son disappeared in a flash, leaving behind a cloud of dust and a scattered pile of leaves.

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Noah let out a groan and rolled over in bed, waking up with a cold sweat. “Ugh... Damn dreams...” He looked over to see a orange and purple fur ball laying on the ground before him. Noah was about to yell and attack the ball before he remembered yesterday.

Noah let out a sigh and stepped around the sleeping Scootaloo. He had one thing on his mind at the time. Food.

“I need to get her a bed...” Noah groaned and rubbed the back of his neck, sore from a horrible sleep. He opened his fridge and smiled before taking out an apple he ‘borrowed’ from Scootaloo. He will pay her back... Eventually.

The pegasus took a bite from the apple and grinned as he heard the skin crack. Half a second later the delicious flavor of the succulent apple covered his taste buds, sending his senses into a frenzy. Delicious...

Noah heard a small giggle and then looked over to see his new roomate staring right at him. “Uh... How long have you been staring at me..?”

She laughed a bit and walked over to him, then took an apple from the fridge. “Long enough to see you fall in love with that apple. You need to hide your emotions better.” She shook her head and took a bite from her red apple.

The stallion huffed and turned away from her. “You are talking to me like you have known me for a long time and know exactly what I’m like...” He shook his head and finished his apple off. “...Not to mention that this is the best apple I have had in years.”

“Whatever, I’m going out for a walk. Have fun with your apple..." Scootaloo went out through the door and disappeared through the clouds.

Noah shook his head. Maybe he should be kinder...

Chapter 4: Trying to cope with the past

The LonerChapter 4: Trying to cope with the past

Scootaloo looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh. She found a friend, a possible mate even, but she felt so empty…She remembered that she would always look up to that one mare, Rainbow Dash.

Thinking about her made her smile some, knowing thats what she was looking for, wondering where she could be… She had to be alive out here somewhere… But where was the question.

Noah walked into the house, ruining the quietness. “I’m back from my walk, and I found something cool.” He smiled, carrying a ripped saddlebag with a cloud and rainbow-colored lightning bolt.

“What did you find?” She looked over at him, breaking off from her daydreaming and thinking. “I-Isn’t that… Rainbow Dash’s?” She managed to say when she saw the saddlebag.

“Rainbow Dash? Isn’t that the old Cloudsdale weather pegasus? The one you… Idoled…?” He stopped and looked at the bag.

“...Where did you find that? Where- was she around?” Scootaloo stood up, now interested even more. “What’s inside?”

“Just an old pair of goggles, some blue and yellow suit, and another necklace. I found it out by a big cave in the Everfree…” He put the items on the table, laying them out carefully.

Scoots looked at the items, studying each one. “Her...Element of Loyalty… This is so cool!” She smiled, looking at it. She even put the goggles on so it held her mane back.

Noah looked at her with a smile. “Fits perfectly… So do you want to go check out the cave, I thought I saw fresh hoof prints...” He put on his guard coat on,

“Fresh? You mean... She could still be there?!” She couldn't believe what he said. Rainbow Dash, the best flier in Equestria, could still be alive?!?!?

He nodded and smiled at her. “Probably, but you need to wear something. It’s raining and I don’t feel like taking care of you if you got sick.” He winked at her, joking of course.

“Well...I suppose I could wear...the uniform.” She said picking it up as well. It had a few cuts in it, but overall it was in good condition.

“Go ahead, I’ll just sit here. Alone. So hurry up and change.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and grabbed the uniform, then started to put it on. She may or may not have shown it but her excitement rose as she put it on. “I feel like I’m supposed to be a Wonderbolt, but we both know they stopped their shows awhile back.” She chuckled.

He laughed as well. “Maybe you can start a one-mare act. I bet you can bring people out of their graves.”

“More like roll over in their graves,” She zipped up the suit.

He laughed at that remark, rolling his eyes. “If we find another one then we can have a two-pony team.”

“Ah, like we would find another one. Now come on, we have to go see if Rainbow Dash is still there!” She said with excitement as she jumped up and ran for the door.

He followed her, a smile on his face. He was going to hopefully meet her idol, and that means another pony to keep him company.

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The two ponies were walking through the Everfree, heading towards the large cave that Noah found Rainbow Dash’s possessions.

“So where did you find it exactly?” Scootaloo asked Noah. They had been walking for a while now and she was getting tired of being in the rain.

He looked back at her, a small smile on his face. ”It is right over the hill.”

“You said that a few minutes ago..” She said looking back at the hill. This was the third time he told her that, and she felt like they were getting lost.

“Well, here it is.” He walked up to a large cave that seemed to come out of nowhere. It seemed like it wasn’t there five steps ago. Of course, that was the magic of the Everfree.

“Shall we?” He looked into the cave with anticipation.

“Of course.” She said as she started walking into the cave.

He followed in with her. No matter what they find, he knew this would be an exciting adventure for both Scoots and himself.

Chapter 5: When you loose everything you believe in...

The Loner

Chapter 5: When you lose everything you believe in…

Noah was holding onto his mother’s back, spreading out his wings as they flew through the sky. He felt the wind run through his feathers, his tail waving behind him, and his mother’s rapid heartbeat against his chest. They were making good time, seeing as she was going faster than the average Pegasus, even while holding the young colt on her back.

She began her dissent down to the entrance to the Everfree Forest, a place that terrified most ponies. However, for the little colt and his mother, this place was the home of Noah’s Godmother and his mother’s best friend.

This forest was as familiar to the duo as was Ponyville’s Clock tower. The fungi that grew on the path and fallen trees, the foliage that blocked out the sun, and the blue flowers that Noah’s mother warned him to stay away from. All of these things are familiar to him, and made him feel safe at home.

They walked into a small clearing with a large tree in it. The tree had been hollowed out and contained illuminated windows and a door, not to mention several tribal masks and vials hung by vines around the tree-house. The door to the house opened, and a familiar-looking zebra took a few steps out of the doorway and gave a friendly smile to Noah and his mother.

“Ah, if it isn’t Love Jewels, and little Noah too. Oh, how much you two have grew!” The zebra gave Love a hug, then Noah. “I missed you both, my dears. Now, what brings you here?”

Noah was the first one to speak up, putting his forehooves on his mother’s head to see Zecora better. “I have no school today so I wanted to help you make some potions like last time, if that is okay with you.” He smiled at her in an adorable way, a way that no living being could say no to.

Zecora smiled back at the foal. “Of course my little Noah, I have some potions I need your help to watch over.”

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Noah and Scootaloo were entering the mouth to the mammoth cave that Noah found Rainbow Dash’s saddle bags out of. They traveled slowly, making sure they didn’t slip or trip on anything. Noah’s coat had a crescent moon gem in the front of it that illuminated the path in front of them for fifteen yards, but all they saw was darkness.

“I can’t see anything Noah, can’t you make that gem shine brighter?” Scootaloo stayed close to Noah, her breathing rushed from her excitement. She was still wearing the Wonderbolt uniform, but had taken off the goggles when they entered the cave.

Noah shook his head, pointing the gem forward. “We are lucky my coat had this gem. If it didn’t then we would be in the out of luck in the dark right now.” He pulled the coat over him tighter. He knew the Wonderbolt uniform was insulated for flight, but his coat was meant to be worn with armor. That meant that he wasn’t insulated from the cold ground under his hooves that was sucking his body heat away. He noted that he was happy that Scootaloo was warmer than he was. When did he start caring about her so much?

While distracted by his thoughts Noah tripped over a stalagmite, making him roll for a few feet. He sat up with a pained groan, which was met by laughter from Scootaloo. He stood up and glared at her, making her laugh even more. He pulled his coat around himself tighter and kept on walking deeper in the cave, looking from side to side. He was quickly joined by his companion and they continued their trek into the cave.

A few hundred yards in the soft glow of a campfire could be seen in the distance, illuminating a tent set up. Scootaloo was about to dash towards the camp before Noah put his hoof in front of her, blocking her. “You wait here, we don’t know if that could be Rainbow Dash.”

She stared at him. “Why should I stay here while you go check? You don’t own me, not to mention that she might attack you, she knows me!”

“I never said I own you Scoots, plus if it isn’t her then whoever lives here will probably attack and kill you. If it is her, I’ll back up and let you talk to her first. Okay? I’m doing the best thing we can do right now.” Noah looked at her calmly, but seriously.

“…Fine… But if she kills you then it’s your fault.” Scootaloo sat down, watching Noah as he crept closer to the camp. The gem on his coat stopped glowing when the light from the fire hit it and he smiled, happy that he had the small enchanted stone. He peeked in the tent and saw a sleeping ball of cyan fur with wings and a prismatic mane and tail.

He let out a breath he didn’t notice he had been holding in and slowly walked back to the orange and purple mare watching him. He smiled and whispered in her ear, “It’s her.”

Scootaloo let out a quiet squeal and began jumping in circles, then stopped, a red tint visible through her cheeks. “C-Can I go see her..? I mean, uh… I’m going to go see her cause she is so cool!” Scootaloo ran for the camp, then peeked her head in the tent. “Rainbow Dash..?”

The prismatic pony stared at Scootaloo, not moving. Rainbow Dash let out a low growl, exposing her teeth at the orange mare in her sanctuary.

“D-Dashie, it’s me… Scootaloo…” The orange Pegasus took a step towards her idol. The rainbow-maned pony turned around and slammed her rear hooves into Scootaloo.

She felt her body ripple as a crack rang through the cave. Scootaloo passed out after she heard the crack, making her limp body fly towards Noah. He took the chance and jumped up towards Scoots, using his body as a mattress of sorts to stop her without hurting her. He fell on his back, holding her in a bear hug.

“Scoots are you alright?!?!” He held her against the chest, and smiled a bit when he heard her heartbeat and breathing. He stared at Rainbow Dash, who was walking back and forth around her camp. “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?!? SHE LOVES YOU AND YOU JUST ATTACKED HER!!!”

Rainbow Dash growled at him as a white foam started forming at her mouth. “She has rabies… Great…” Noah picked up Scoots and ran for the mouth of the cave, wanting to get away from the feral mare with rabies as fast as possible. This was a bad day…